Jacqui Siou suffered an acute infection, blood clots and bleeding in her stomach following a routine injection.
Medical mishap victims deserve better support
When Health NZ gets it wrong, they do a superlative job (Mar 23).
The litany of errors made in the care, or lack thereof, of Jacqui Siou was difficult to read and it’s fortunate that the fortitude Jacqui displayed helped her to survive.
Of the many mistakes made by Health NZ Capital Coast and Hutt Valley the most egregious was their lack of respect and response to Jacqui’s pleas to investigate her symptoms further.
Many of us are raised to believe in, and trust medical personnel, but it’s unforgivable that they made Jacqui doubt her knowledge of her own body.
Thankfully, we hear about these cases rarely, but when they occur the requisite sincere apology is issued and investigations follow.
However, the question needs to be asked: why are many of these patients who are irrevocably damaged, reliant on the generosity of their fellow Kiwis through Givealittle pages?
I’m not advocating that we adopt the litigious American model, but we’ve all heard of ACC delays and shortcomings in assessing a person’s right to assistance, which happens far too often.
There needs to be a more equitable model because people like Jacqui Siou shouldn’t have to rely on food banks and unable to pay for school transport for her children through no fault of her own. We need to do better.
Mary Hearn, Glendowie.
Eden Park own goal
The decision by Auckland Council to vote in favour of Eden Park 2.0 surely has to be the proof that New Zealand cannot move forward (Mar 28).
The goal should be to have an international stadium down by the waterfront with its transport links, outlook and residents that don’t restrict its business. Now we see this monumental age-based conservative thinking that is destroying Auckland going forward.
The naysayers that didn’t want Dunedin were proven wrong, that stadium speaks for itself. The fact the council cannot see this speaks volumes.
The council had multiple options, including to defer until a business case is built, but seem hellbent on parking this with a rubbish decision that doesn’t get the best for Auckland or New Zealand. So short-sighted and I hope those councillors who attended Eden Park enjoyed their free tickets. This is sadly not a joke and incredibly stupid.
Andrew Wicks, Te Atatū Peninsula.
Solving congestion
Transport Minister Chris Bishop’s support for congestion charging in Auckland (Mar 26) should be done by removing all the congestion-causing on-ramp signals on the motorways and replacing them with toll gantries.
There would still be free routes with using local arterial roads like Great South Rd and Great North Rd. The second harbour crossing needs to consist of a new replacement bridge for the Auckland Harbour Bridge, running from Victoria Park through to Northcote Pt, using a design similar to the A Centenary Bridge proposal, which includes road traffic lanes, bus lanes, with light rail and pedestrian and cycle paths underneath.
A new light rail tram line could run from Britomart to Takapuna via this new bridge, extended into a new central city loop running from the Wynyard Quarter to Britomart, up Queen St, along K Rd to Western Springs and along Ponsonby Rd, down College Hill back to the Wynyard Quarter. Light rail could also be added to the Northern Busway.
The South Eastern Highway, Ti Rakau Drive and Te Irirangi Drive need to become a state highway and be upgraded into an expressway with heavy rail running along them from Sylvia Park-Pakuranga-Botany-Manukau-Auckland Airport-Onehunga.
Isaac Broome, Pukekohe.
Police patrols
Your editorial missed the point when criticising Green MP Tamatha Paul’s comments about an increased police presence causing certain members of our society to feel unsafe (Mar 27).
You quote statistics relating to a reduction in crime following an increased foot patrol presence. This is hard evidence and an excellent outcome.
That is not what Paul is saying. Some groups, who historically have not had a good relationship with police, may still feel unsafe. Rather than focus on the criticism of her comments and ask if they are credible, why not gather evidence from her demonstrating the credibility (or otherwise) of her statements.
Like many expressions of widely diverse opinion, the truth is probably somewhere in the middle.
Peter Huggard, Waiheke Island.
Pipe dreams
Having just read the Project Auckland insert I’m disappointed at seeing nothing but a list of “nice to haves” and pipe dreams (Mar 26).
It seems to me that Auckland’s ego has grown more quickly than the means to feed it. Aotearoa NZ has a total population less than that of cities that we are apparently in competition with for “world-class” status.
Auckland has always had “NZ class” status, which is all that’s required. We don’t need huge waterfront hotels, stadiums, yachting facilities etc at the cost of what we do need. Healthcare facilities, housing for the homeless, safety on the streets, more schools for the increasing immigrant populations, are far more important than trying to become another Sydney, Singapore, Barcelona or anywhere else that isn’t uniquely NZ.
Let’s fix what we have first, before we try to emulate every other cookie-cutter city around the world.
Jeremy Coleman, Hillpark.
Neglected CBD
An interesting supplement in the Herald provided a large range of future developments to enhance our city.
Most of the projects mentioned all relate to bringing large numbers of people to the city for work or entertainment. The City Rail Link, second harbour crossing, new or redeveloped stadia, waterfront developments, a convention centre plus many more. There are, however, a few omissions.
There is no provision for upgrading the inner-city highway (Hobson St) beyond Wellesley St West, relocating homeless and others who need assistance. Has any thought been given to repurposing the now abandoned police building in Cook St to provide temporary accommodation for those people?
The area contained within Hobson St, Nelson St, Union St, and Wellesley St West has one of the highest population densities in the city with no projects targeted at improving their environment. No green space, no footpath upgrades, no public toilets to name a few.
I’m sure our council could do better if the will was there.
Dick Ayres, Auckland.
DEI disasters
Simon Wilson’s article highlighting Winston Peters’ disparaging attitude to DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) is a little patronising in its tone given that in reality this is an ideology that is relatively untried (Mar 26).
Up until recent history most people appointed to positions were actually appointed on merit. Most of the time DEI never came into it.
In fact it could be dangerous territory to navigate. In the full glare of reality a company is judged on its success or failure on whether or not it has a profit at the end of the year.
Are we to disregard this measure in the future by saying that a company is successful now because it adheres to DEI principles? Never mind that it might not be producing enough money to pay the wages so it ultimately goes out of business, people lose their jobs and can’t pay the mortgage.
Also, will schools be judged on how they appoint teachers based on DEI and not on how good they are at delivering the curriculum? Will the military defend itself against incompetence among the ranks by stating that at least we appointed people based on DEI?
These are just a few examples of potential DEI disasters which might have well-qualified and talented people abandoning this country for another that does not adhere to these principles.
Bernard Walker, Mount Maunganui.
Bus scammers
I was riding a bus from downtown Auckland to Takapuna and for the first time I saw designated persons with an AT badge scan every person’s bus pass to make sure they are legitimate passengers.
It’s a sad fact that some hop on the bus without scanning their ticket. They just hold it in their hands.
My advice is, pay up like most passengers. Your days of scamming are numbered.
Lynne Lagan, Takapuna.
How bizarre that Green MP Tamatha Paul should say that a visible police presence makes people more on edge when all evidence shows exactly the opposite. The public is always crying out for more police on the beat. This comment adds to those from the Green Party - inside and outside Parliament - that are becoming more extraordinary by the day.
Hylton Le Grice, Remuera.
When you read comments such as were made by Green MP Tamatha Paul regarding police on the beat, you have to wonder just how such people even get into Parliament and God help all of us if they ever got into power. But that’s democracy in action.
Paul Beck, West Harbour.
In response to the article about Waikumete Cemetery running out of space, I would like to ask the question - how long are graves allowed to stay? If you go out to Waikumete you will see acres and acres of grave sites overgrown with vegetation that obviously haven’t seen a visitor in ages. So how long will these unloved unattended graves stay in place? Is there a point when they will be recycled?
Jock MacVicar, Hauraki.
Maybe it is time to bury people upright instead of horizontal. That would reduce the area of land needed for interment.
Vicky Williamson, Cockle Bay.
Liam Lawson has had two races - Formula 1 is a new game, a tough game. To see the boot going into the young talent so quick is hard to accept. The fact it seems the boot’s gone in already says a lot about human behaviour.
John Ford, Taradale.
It is becoming obvious that Red Bull are not giving Liam Lawson a fair go. He is given a car designed to Max Verstappen’s requirements and even he is finding it tricky. Surely if Red Bull management had any brains they would modify a car to suit Lawson’s requirements rather than hoping he (or anyone else) can be successful in a car tailored for another driver.
Derek Paterson, Sunnyhills.
What’s wrong with the good old-fashioned filled roll with lettuce, tomato, ham, avocado, cheese and mayonnaise as a filling. Done with wholemeal buns, we’d have the healthiest children on the planet. Or have I missed something?
Gary Hollis, Mellons Bay.
There have been lots of questions and answers expected of how authorities handled the missing 11-year-old. How did they get it so wrong? Why was she drugged? Why wasn’t she identified properly? The questions I would like asked and answered are: Where were the parents/guardians? Why did it take so long for them to report the girl missing?
Richard Vialoux, Papamoa.
Winston Peters continues his verbal attack on the “woke agenda”. Given his dislike of “woke” one can only assume that he is in favour of the opposite to “woke”, which is “asleep”. Thus one can only assume that he is “asleep”. That is he is not “awake”. Asleep at the wheel.
Kevin Menzies, Onehunga.
If all the water leaks were reported and attended to, we would not have looming water restrictions. It seems few care enough to act and save our precious resources.
Fiona Helleur, Milford.
Like Popeye the Sailor Man, Winston Peters attributes his good health to large servings of spinach. I prefer to believe it’s due to his well-known predilection for cigarettes and whiskey.
Doug Hannan, Mount Maunganui.
Christopher Luxon: "The cones are frankly just clogging up the joint."